CONTACT:
Sgt. Alex Lopashanski
603-744-5470 603-271-3361
July 13, 2019
Harts Location, NH – On Saturday, July 13 shortly before noon, New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified that a hiker was injured on the Dry River Trail in the Dry River Wilderness. The hiker was Denise Blank, 58, of Craryville, NY. At 10:30 AM, Blank was hiking with her family when she slipped down an embankment and injured her head. There is no cellular service in the area and a member of the group had to hike out nearly 3.5 miles then drive to make a call for help. Along with Conservation Officers rescuers from Bartlett Fire Department, SOLO Wilderness Medicine, Lakes Region Search and Rescue, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, and the US Forest Service responded. Rescuers placed Blank in a litter and carried her nearly 3.5 miles back to the trailhead, where she arrived shortly before 7:00 PM and was driven from the scene by Bartlett Jackson Ambulance and taken to the Memorial Hospital in North Conway for treatment.
While Blank and her hiking partners were well prepared for the conditions, it is important to note that wilderness area trails, especially in the Dry River Wilderness, are rough and difficult to follow. High water conditions and flooding constantly erode and erase sections of trail which creates hazards, slows travel times, and complicates route finding.